Split (2007)

Andrew Jackson Jihad and Ghost Mice team up for this split full-length on Plan-It-X. If ever there was documented proof of "the Plan-It-X sound," this is certainly it. Both bands personify the socially/politically passionate, jangly, upbeat folk-punk sound to an absolute 'T.'

Alright, well, not that upbeat. In the first two tracks alone, Andrew Jackson Jihad sing about hating everything in opener "Little Prince (El Principito)" and declares in the next track, "We Shall Die Alone Someday," that "bad things happen everyday; cancer and murder and herpes and AIDS." However, they sound damn near cheerful about it sometimes. The duo use their bare bones setup for pretty much all eight of their tracks, with haphazardly strummed acoustic guitar chords at the forefront (aside from slower tracks like their cover of Ghost Mice's "Lightning Bolt") and the thudded plucking of strings from a stand-up bass coating the bottom of the sound. Nothing here is quite as exciting as "No More Tears" (found on Plea for Peace Vol. 2), but their songs are well-done and decent enough.

Ghost Mice fare slightly better with a similar style on their side with eight tracks of their own. The self-professed "anarcho-hippy-punks" employ their signature male and female leads with nearly every song and more elaborate instrumentation (violin, mandolin, harmonica, kiddie xylophone) that makes their half a little more refreshing and listenable. The last few songs, "This Heart of Mine" and "Please Quit Smoking Mom" (the former sung primarily by Hannah) are so cute and earnest it's sort of nauseating.

Who are the best bands doing this style? I haven't really determined that yet, but as far as this split goes it's a decently done interpretation of it.